Rady Children's hits $220M fundraising goal

Rady Children’s Hospital announced it has reached its goal of raising $220 million, completing a five-year fundraising campaign six months ahead of schedule.

The campaign’s initial focus was on construction and fundraising allowed the hospital to open a 279,000-square-foot Acute Care Pavilion in 2010 that includes the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Warren Family Surgical Center, Viterbi Outpatient Clinic, Carlson Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit East and Carley’s Magical Gardens.

The new four-story building expanded the hospital from 288 licensed beds to 442, making Rady Children’s the largest pediatric acute care hospital in California.

The campaign then shifted its focus to raise funds for patient-care programs,

technology and research. Officials said donations have funded programs such as Child Life, which provides specialists to help patients and their families cope with the hospital experience; bought new technology such as a pediatric MRI machine that allows children to watch a movie or listen to music while being scanned; and helped pay for research into individualized treatments for pediatric brain tumors.

During the course of the campaign nearly 5 million donations were received, from kids running lemonade stands to major gifts from philanthropists.

The largest gifts included $60 million from the Ernest Rady family, $50 million from an anonymous donor, $10 million from the Peckham family, $10 million from the Warren family, $6 million from the Viterbi family and $6 million from Rady Children’s Auxiliary.

“The success of The Campaign for Rady Children’s is a tribute San Diego’s enduring commitment to the health and well-being of children,” hospital president and chief executive Kathleen Sellick said.